Over 500 Scientists Proclaim Their Doubts About Darwin’s Theory

Discovery Institute ^ | 02.20.06

[Coleus]

The Scientific Dissent From Darwinism list is now located at a new webpage, www.dissentfromdarwin.org.

SEATTLE — Over 500 doctoral scientists have now signed a statement publicly expressing their skepticism about the contemporary theory of Darwinian evolution.

The statement reads: “We are skeptical of claims for the ability of random mutation and natural selection to account for the complexity of life. Careful examination of the evidence for Darwinian theory should be encouraged.”

The list of 514 signatories includes member scientists from the prestigious US and Russian National Academy of Sciences. Signers include 154 biologists, the largest single scientific discipline represented on the list, as well as 76 chemists and 63 physicists. Signers hold doctorates in biological sciences, physics, chemistry, mathematics, medicine, computer science, and related disciplines. Many are professors or researchers at major universities and research institutions such as MIT, The Smithsonian, Cambridge University, UCLA, UC Berkeley, Princeton, the University of Pennsylvania, the Ohio State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Washington.

Discovery Institute first published its Scientific Dissent From Darwinism list in 2001 to challenge false statements about Darwinian evolution made in promoting PBS’s “Evolution” series. At the time it was claimed that “virtually every scientist in the world believes the theory to be true.”

“Darwinists continue to claim that no serious scientists doubt the theory and yet here are 500 scientists who are willing to make public their skepticism about the theory,” said Dr. John G. West, associate director of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science & Culture. “Darwinist efforts to use the courts, the media and academic tenure committees to suppress dissent and stifle discussion are in fact fueling even more dissent and inspiring more scientists to ask to be added to the list.”

According to West, it was the fast growing number of scientific dissenters which encouraged the Institute to launch a website -- www.dissentfromdarwin.org -- to give the list a permanent home. The website is the Institute’s response to the demand for information and access to the list both by the public, and by scientists who want to add their name to list.

“Darwin’s theory of evolution is the great white elephant of contemporary thought,” said Dr. David Berlinski, one of the original signers, a mathematician and philosopher of science with Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture (CSC). “It is large, almost completely useless, and the object of superstitious awe.”

Other prominent signatories include U.S. National Academy of Sciences member Philip Skell; American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow Lyle Jensen; evolutionary biologist and textbook author Stanley Salthe; Smithsonian Institution evolutionary biologist and a researcher at the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Biotechnology Information Richard von Sternberg; Editor of Rivista di Biologia / Biology Forum --the oldest still published biology journal in the world-- Giuseppe Sermonti; and Russian Academy of Natural Sciences embryologist Lev Beloussov.

[guitarist]

Nothing wrong with doubting Darwinism, but prepare to get slammed and good!

[jwalsh07]

They should be very careful in Pennsylvania, Judge Jones may jail them for this heresy.

[fizziwig]

Hilarious!

No its not!

Yes it is!

Not!

Is!

Nyeah!

Jerk!

Azzhat!

F##khead!

Weenie!

Just getting in a little warmup....:)

[EricT.]

The Church of Darwinism gets really bent out of shape when proclaimations get nailed to their door.

[GSlob]

Those failing to evolve by noon this Wednesday will be facing terminal extinction.
The Personnel Department

[massfreeper]

Oh c'mon! The next thing you're going to tell me is that some scientists doubt global warming! *sarcasm*

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Creationist/Evolution double-ping.

[highlander_UW]

Then these scientists better be prepared to be accused of not being scientists by the Darwinists. It's part of the Darwinist mantra.

[HuntsvilleTxVeteran]

http://www.blackmask.com/Detailed/Liberal_Arts/Charles_Darwin/The_Origin_of_Species_by_means_of_Natural_Selection_752.html

Above URL is free book in several formats.
I will bet a lot of people argue about the book that have never read it.

[Thunder90]

For true science to exist, there must be challenges to it. The greatest challenge for Darwinism is the evolution from organic matter to cells. This has yet to be done in the labitory.

[dr_lew]

It's more like "100 against Einstein", don't you think ?

[ER Doc]

I need to find the link to the Steve List; more than 500 PhD-level scientists signing a statement in support of Evolution, all named Steve.

[seastay]

a lot of people who argue about it may not of read the bible either.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

[seastay]

a lot of people who argue about it may not of read the bible either.

http://www.biblegateway.com/

[cryptical]

I will bet a lot of people argue about the book that have never read it.

It's easier to mischaracterize a book that you haven't read.

[Strategerist]

And how many Paleontologists? Zero, I suspect.

And I bet geologists are almost totally absent from the list.

[Holdek]

Assuming that this is even true, 154 biologists, out of thousands who support evolution, is at best less than 10%. Probably closer to say 5% of biologists don't believe in evolution. Not exactly a solid talking point for the ID folks.

[AntiGuv]

That is very intriguing, but my guess is that over 500,000 would proclaim their doubts about the alternatives, if you started a list.

[MRMEAN]

There are now over 700 scientists who have signed on to Project Steve, all of whom are named "Steven" or variants thereof, who support the following statement:

Evolution is a vital, well-supported, unifying principle of the biological sciences, and the scientific evidence is overwhelmingly in favor of the idea that all living things share a common ancestry. Although there are legitimate debates about the patterns and processes of evolution, there is no serious scientific doubt that evolution occurred or that natural selection is a major mechanism in its occurrence. It is scientifically inappropriate and pedagogically irresponsible for creationist pseudoscience, including but not limited to "intelligent design," to be introduced into the science curricula of our nation's public schools.

How many of the Discovery Institute's signatories are named "Steve"?